


Return to Me

by mldrgrl



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Angst, F/M, I Want To Believe, Making Up, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-06-03
Packaged: 2018-07-11 17:35:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7062796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mldrgrl/pseuds/mldrgrl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens after Scully drives away at the end of I Want to Believe (hint: make up sex)</p><p>A sequel of sorts to this drabble: http://archiveofourown.org/works/6376843/chapters/15625636</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part I

Mulder counted to ten before he answered the phone. He didn’t want to seem too eager to speak to her, or like he’d been waiting for her call, even though he was. When he picked up, he paused and took a breath.

 

“Mulder,” he said. It came out almost like a question. It had been a long time since he was able to say his name into a phone without the threat of immediate arrest looming over his head.

 

“Blast from the past,” Scully answered.

 

“I think your line is, ‘Mulder, it’s me,’” he scolded.

 

“Sorry, I left my script in a motel somewhere back in 2002.”

 

He smiled because he liked it when she was sarcastic at him, but she sounded tired. “How’d it go, Doc?”

 

“As well as can be expected, I think.” She spoke slowly and hesitantly and he frowned.

 

“Meaning?”

 

“No complications.”

 

“But?”

 

“It’ll take time to start seeing results. I need to stay and keep him under observation. At least the next 48 hours.”

 

“Do what you have to do, Scully.”

 

“I…”

 

He waited and listened. He could hear her breathing.

 

“I miss you,” she said.

 

His knee-jerk reaction was to make a joke that she just saw him twelve hours ago, but he knew that wasn’t what she meant and he didn’t want to play lightly with the state of their relationship right now.

 

“I know,” he said. “You do what you have to do and I’ll be here.”

 

“I’ll talk to you soon.”

 

*******

 

The next day, when she called, he didn’t wait to pick up the phone. He didn’t care if he sounded overly eager to hear her voice.

 

“Mulder.”

 

“Mulder, it’s me.”

 

“Me, who?”

 

“Mulllderrrrr…” There was a smile in her voice and he almost heard her eyes rolling.

 

“How are things today, Doc?”

 

“Looking up.”

 

“I’m glad.”

 

“How are you keeping yourself occupied, Mulder?”

 

“Currently in a battle of wills with a gopher wrecking havoc on the garden.”

 

“A gopher? Are you sure you just didn’t fall asleep watching Caddyshack again? By the way, what garden?”

 

“What do you mean, what garden? The garden at the side of the house.”

 

“I’ve never seen a garden. What’s in this garden?”

 

“Weeds, mostly. Cucumbers, eventually. I hope.”

 

“Cucumbers?”

 

“You don’t like cucumbers?”

 

“Just wondering where you got the inspiration. And where you may have learned to garden.”

 

“I read a book once.”

 

“I have to go, I’m being paged.”

 

“Go get ‘em, Doc.”

 

*******

 

The phone rang early the following morning. Mulder hadn’t quite rolled out of bed yet, but he answered quickly while rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

 

“Mulder, it’s me,” Scully said, softly. “Did I wake you?”

 

“I’m awake.”

 

“I won’t be home today.”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“There’s been a bit of a setback.”

 

“What kind of setback.”

 

“Christian developed a fever overnight. The injection site doesn’t appear infected. It may just be a fever. I don’t know.”

 

Mulder rolled onto his back and rubbed his temples with his fingers spread across his forehead. He heard the tremor in Scully’s voice and it hurt. “Do you want me to come down there?” he asked.

 

“No, you don’t have to do that. I’m just…”

 

“Worried? Upset? Scared?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I can be there in an hour.”

 

“I appreciate that, but I can deal with this. I’ll probably be too busy to see you anyway. I just wanted to let you know I won’t be home today.”

 

“Scully-”

 

“I’m fine,” she snapped.

 

“Okay.”

 

“I’m sorry. It’ll be fine. I’ll be fine. I’ll…call you when I know more.”

 

“I love you.”

 

“I have to go,” she whispered.

 

*******

The cell phone in Mulder’s pocket rang and he shook off his gardening gloves, letting them drop to the dirt. He sat back on his ankles and connected to the call with a brief glance at the screen.

 

“Hey, Scully,” he said.

 

“Hey.”

 

“You sound tired.”

 

“I am.”

 

“How’s the boy?”

 

“He’s good. Out of the woods for any serious complications. The fever is gone. Now we wait.”

 

“That’s great.”

 

“Yeah. I’ll be home later today. Sometime in the afternoon.”

 

“You okay to drive?”

 

“Yes, I’m fine.”

 

“ _Fine_ , fine? Or actually fine.”

 

“Actually fine. I’m waiting for a few more test results to record his progress and then I’ll be on my way. Do we need anything? Should I stop at the store at all?”

 

“I had a delivery yesterday. Just bring yourself.”

 

“I’ll see you soon.”

 

*****


	2. Part 2

*****

 

He was spreading fertilizer when her car pulled up. He paused to watch her exit the car and she trudged towards him with slow, weary steps. Her hands were shoved into her camel-colored overcoat though it was too warm for layers. He leaned over as she got closer, holding the bag of fertilizer and his dirty hands away from her. She lifted her face and he gave her a peck on the lips.

 

“I’m kind of a mess right now,” he said.

 

“It’s okay.” She took her hand out of her pocket and squeezed his bicep, tipping her head towards the patch of dirt by their feet. “This is the garden?”

 

“Hopefully. As long as Chuck stays out of my way.”

 

“Chuck?”

 

“The gopher.”

 

“You named him?”

 

“I had to call him something.”

 

She smiled a little and bent slightly at the waist to inspect the squared off area he called the garden. Little plastic markers stuck up out of the ground with pictures of vegetables on them. Cucumbers. Yellow squash. Zucchini. Carrots. Radishes. She’d never seen him eat a radish in his life.

 

“Where’s Chuck now?” she asked.

 

“I evicted him. Set him up with a new home down by the pond.”

 

“You caught him?”

 

“Bill Murray’s got nothin’ on me, Scully.”

 

He was rewarded with another smile and she shoved her hands back into her pockets. She tipped her head towards the low hanging sun in the west and closed her eyes, breathing deeply.

 

“I’m almost done here,” he said.

 

“I’m going to take a nap,” she answered, eyes fluttering open as she rolled her head towards him. “I haven’t had much sleep.”

 

“I’m glad you’re home, Scully.”

 

“Me too.” She pulled her hand out to squeeze his arm again and walked away, just as slowly and wearily as she came.

 

******

 

Mulder finished with the garden in a little under an hour. He was surprised when he came back into the house to find Scully asleep on the couch. Her overcoat was flung onto the chair, but her boots were still on and the afghan was only half-pulled off the back of the couch and over her shoulders.

 

Carefully, he removed her boots and draped the afghan over her. If he wasn’t so dirty and smelled of sweat and fertilizer, he would have sat beside her for awhile, but he wanted to clean up and he planned on making her dinner. The sun was fading fast, so he turned the lamp on to keep her out of the dark.

 

He showered and shaved and fixed dinner and set the table while she slept. Sitting next to her hip on the couch, he rubbed her shoulder to ease her awake. She used to startle so quickly when he woke her on one of their boring stakeouts back in their partnership, but nowadays she took a little more coaxing. Don’t let her pager from the hospital go off though or she’d be up in a flash and out the door before he could even say good morning.

 

“Scully?” he said, giving her a gentle shake. “Do you want to eat or do you just want to sleep?”

 

“Mmmtimezit?” she mumbled, turning and pressing her face into her arm.

 

“Almost eight.”

 

“Mmhm. I need to get up.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Gimme a minute.” She slowly twisted her body until she was on her back, arm covering her eyes. “Smells nice.”

 

“Me? Or the chicken?”

 

Her lips quirked up and she lifted her arm enough to peer down her nose at him. “Which one of you smells like oregano?”

 

“I guess that’s the chicken.

 

She reached out and curved a hand behind his head, bringing him down close enough so she could lift her head and press her nose to his neck.  She breathed deeply and hummed, then let him go.

 

“Definitely the chicken,” she said.

 

He chuckled. “Come on.” He took her hand and pulled her up off the couch. The afghan slipped to the floor and he kicked it up and out of the way as he led her into the kitchen.

 

She sat down at the left side of their square little table and he sat perpendicular to her on her right. He served out the chicken breast and rice and green beans and she shook her head when he asked if she wanted any wine.

 

“Too sleepy,” she said. “It’ll put me right out.”

 

He got them both glasses of water and when he sat down again Scully’s hand went to his head, fingers sifting through his hair. He bent his neck towards her as she lightly circled the bruise at the side of his forehead with her thumb.

 

“I forgot to ask how you were,” she said.

 

“Doesn’t hurt anymore.”

 

She took his wrist next and pushed the sleeve of his sweater up his arm. He’d exchanged the gauze wrap for a regular bandage a few days ago just to keep the wound covered. Her fingers skimmed the edges of the tape up the inside of his forearm.

 

“Still bleeding?” she asked.

 

“Nope. And I believe you’re off duty, Doc. Quit fussing over me and eat.”

 

She brushed her thumb over the fading abrasions on his knuckles and then released his hand. They made quiet conversation as they ate. Scully complimented the chicken and asked about his garden. He told her about the cooking videos he found online and what his plans were for planting if he could get his little crops off the ground.

 

When she wasn’t using both hands to cut her chicken, she spent most of the meal holding her head up on her fist, leaning on her elbow. She ate slowly and had barely made it through half her food by the time Mulder was nearly finished. He put his silverware down and reached over to rub her shoulder.

 

“You want me to run you a bath?” he asked.

 

Suddenly, her fork clattered to her plate and she turned towards him, locking her arms around his neck and hiding her face against his shoulder. His hands went to her back, stroking softly a few times before he scooted his chair back and pulled her to his lap. She didn’t change her grip on him and she moved easily from her seat to sit sideways against him. She wasn’t crying or whispering apologies or other nonsense to him, and he didn’t think she would.

 

He didn’t ask what was wrong because he knew the way she bottled stress until it shut her down and she just needed to hide from it. Even if it was just for five minutes, it would be five minutes where nothing existed but being in his arms and she didn’t have to think about all the things that had culminated in the past few weeks that had taken their toll; the continuing fight with the hospital; Christian’s treatment; the consult with the FBI; her reticence about Father Crissman; their argument; his disappearance and near decapitation...

 

He didn’t tell her things would be okay, because he knew she hated that sort of cliché lie. He didn’t say anything at all, just rested his cheek against her head, held her and waited for her to relax. One arm stayed around her shoulders and with his free hand he caressed the side of her leg from her hip to her knee until she finally loosened her arms and slackened against him. He was still quiet for just a few more minutes, continuing to rub her leg until she sighed and stretched her shoulders.

 

“Hey,” he said.

 

“Hey,” she answered, blinking slowly at him as he searched her eyes. He was so glad they had moved passed the days of turning away in embarrassment when emotions got the better of them.

 

 _Okay_? He asked with his eyes and the press of his hand to her leg.

 

 _Yeah_. She answered with a lift of her chin and with a half-masted blink.

 

He nodded and then cleared his throat. “You should go lie down,” he said. “I’ll clean up in here.”

 

She shook her head and straightened, arms still loose around his neck. “I’ll help, It’ll get done faster.”

 

“Are you insinuating I’m an inefficient housekeeper?” He bounced his knee and gave her hip a squeeze to let her know he was teasing.

 

She kissed him lightly on the lips and then caressed his cheek with her nose for a moment before sliding off his lap and pushing up the sleeves of her sweater. They cleaned the kitchen together, packing up the leftovers and then doing the dishes. Scully washed and Mulder dried. When they were finished, he walked her out of the kitchen with his hands on her shoulders, rubbing gently.

 

“How about a massage?” he asked.

 

“Are you asking for one or offering one?”

 

He squeezed her shoulders again to acknowledge her joke. “I did spend a long day in the garden,” he said. “But, I think saving lives wins in this case.”

 

“You don’t have to.”

 

“Oh, but I want to.”

 

“In that case, I’d love one.”

 

*****


	3. Part 3

He started with her lower back because he knew that’s where she had the tendency to carry most of her tension. She lay on her stomach with her arms folded under her head and he straddled her hips, resting his weight very lightly on the back of her thighs. She’d drawn her hair up into a loose bun and he’d placed a towel on the bed before she lay down because he was using oil, not lotion, and he lit two candles, placing them on the night stands at the side of the bed, not to be romantic, but to keep the lights off and not be in the dark. It was warm in their room so he took his sweater off, leaving him in jeans and a t-shirt and bare feet.

 

His grip was light on her sides, just above her hips and he pressed the heels of his hands into the groove along her spine, sliding up to the middle of her back with his thumbs blazing the trail, and then back down to her tailbone. The thin elastic band of her pale blue panties was the line of demarcation. His intention was to unwind her, nothing more. Honest.

 

The first time he gave her a massage was a few years into their partnership. He could tell she was sore from doing four autopsies in a row and he told her when they got back to DC he was going to get her a gift certificate to a spa. She politely declined, grimacing in pain as she tried to roll the tension out of her neck and shoulders, and told him she didn’t like to be touched by strangers. I’m not a stranger, he’d said. I can do it.

 

Of course she had protested and of course he eventually talked her into it. He was very respectful, standing behind her while she sat in a chair in her hotel room. Neck and shoulders only. She wore a t-shirt and he still had on his dress shirt and tie. It couldn’t have been the best massage she’d ever received, but it had helped and it had earned him some of her trust so that when she was in need of muscle therapy, she would come to him. Those moments were few and far between back in those days, but he felt that it brought them closer.

 

There had only been one time, before they were together, when he let his feelings get in the way of keeping things polite. The IVF implant had been on a Friday. She was supposed to take the weekend to relax, but she called him on Saturday and told him she didn’t sleep and couldn’t concentrate and asked if he could please come over and distract her.

 

They were on her couch and she wouldn’t stop fidgeting to the point where she was gnawing at the skin around her fingernails. He pushed himself into the back of the couch as much as possible and had her sit between his knees. She sat stiffly at the edge of the cushion, her hands twisted in her lap, while he squeezed her shoulders and her arms and her neck. Finally, her head tipped forward as her shoulders dropped and her back slumped with a sigh. Her loosened arms came to rest on his thighs and her fingers curved around the sides of his knees.

 

He couldn’t help himself in that moment. He sat forward and put his arms around her, pulling her against his chest and resting his chin on her shoulder. Her body went rigid and her fingers dug into his knees with painful pressure. He let go and mumbled an apology, but she reached up and held on to his arms, patting him gently with trembling hands. He whispered to her that it would be okay, and she told him he didn’t know that it would, so please don’t say it.

 

She rested against him for just a few short moments and then moved his arms away and stood. He felt guilty for taking advantage of her vulnerability and trying to hold her, but only for the amount of time it took for her to put a movie into the VCR and come back to the couch. When she put her head on his shoulder he lost the compulsion to apologize. She was asleep before they made it through the endless coming attractions and he was stuck watching Steel Magnolias by himself, but he didn’t mind because before she actually fell asleep, she lay down and put her head in his lap. It took him half the movie to work up the nerve to touch her hair.

 

Mulder came back from his reverie, realizing his hands were dry and not sliding as easily over Scully’s back as when he’d started. He paused to collect more oil and she lifted her head to look back at him, giving him an arched brow.

 

“Not that I’m complaining,” she said. “But, you don’t have to touch me like it’s 1999.”

 

“Hm?”

 

“By now, I expected you to put some purpose into it.”

 

“I don’t know what you mean.” He feigned ignorance, smoothing his oily hands over the back of her shoulders and down her upper arms. “Were you hoping for one of _those_ massages?”

 

“It’s been awhile.”

 

“It has.”

 

She put her head back down on her arms. “In case you’re waiting for permission to touch me inappropriately,” she said. “You have it.”

 

He paused and pressed her hips down against the mattress before scooting back a little down her legs. “Turn over,” he requested.

 

She moved up on her elbows and he rose above her on his knees so she could turn beneath him. She pulled her hair free of the bun and settled on her back, letting the loose strawberry blonde tresses fan out next to her and over her shoulders. She slipped one of her legs out from between his and ran the arch of her foot against the side of his thigh.

 

“Feet next?” he asked, repositioning her other leg on the outside of his by stepping over it with his knee and nudging it aside so he could sit back on his heels. “Is that what you want?”

 

“Mm,” she replied, closing her eyes.

 

He grasped her foot and pressed his thumb into her arch, moving up to her big toe. He worked her foot for a few minutes with both hands and then placed her bent leg next to his hip to give her other foot the same attention.

 

After a few minutes, he put that foot to the side as well and leaned over her, placing his hands next to her shoulders. He hovered there, cocking his head when she opened her eyes and smiled up at him. Her hands slipped under his shirt, bringing it up to his shoulders as she scratched his ribs with her nails. He took the hint and sat back to pull off is shirt, but came back to hover over her again.

 

“These aren’t uncomfortable for you yet?” she asked, rubbing the top of her foot against the front of his jeans.

 

“Not yet.”

 

“Anything I can do?”

 

“Just want to look at you,” he whispered, brushing the tip of his nose against hers.

 

She licked her lips and her back arched just a little as she shifted her hips. He smiled as he kissed the corner of her mouth and then sat back on his heels again, this time gripping her thighs. His thumbs moved softly up the insides of her legs, over the delicate line of the gracilis muscles, making them tense and quiver the higher he got. His touch became barely there just as he reached the crease where her leg ended and that secret world of being a woman began.

 

The evidence of her arousal darkened the front of her panties and she was right, he still hadn’t even touched her with very much purpose. She had to have been thinking about this, or something like this, for quite some time to be that stimulated that quickly. Not that he hadn’t been thinking about make-up sex since she drove out of the gate a week ago, but he was trying to be mindful of her emotional stress and ignore his own needs. Sometimes he forgot that she could want him just as much as he wanted her. His chest always swelled with pride when he remembered it was possible because it was those moments that made him feel the most safe and loved. The psychologist in him knew it was a typical male attitude, but what could he say? He was a normal guy who just wanted the woman he loved to love him back.

 

“What do you want?” Mulder asked, teasing her pantyline with his fingertips, making her shift her legs.

 

“Slow,” she answered. “Just want to feel you.”

 

“I can do that.”

 

“Kiss me.”

 

He walked his hands forward until he was on hands and knees above her and opened his mouth over hers. Her tongue welcomed him first and her hands slid into his hair. He loved the way she trapped his ears between the webbing of her fingers when she cradled his head. She rubbed his smooth jaw with her thumbs and he broke the kiss momentarily.

 

“Miss the beard?” he asked.

 

“Not in the least.”

 

He chuckled and kissed her again. She moved one of her hands down and slipped it between their bodies until she reached his jeans. Deftly, she undid the snap and eased the zipper down. He moaned into her mouth as her knuckles brushed him through his boxer-briefs and he had to lower himself down to his elbows lest his arms give out and he collapse onto her.

 

“Mm…” Scully turned her head out of their kiss and pushed on his shoulder. “Move up just for a second.”

 

He pushed back up with one arm and she moved her right leg between his, giving her unobstructed access to him. She smiled and brushed her hand along his ribs to let him know he could come back down to her.

 

“That strategic little brain of yours is always working,” he said, opting to kiss her neck this time instead of her lips.

 

“You’ll thank me later.”

 

“On the contrary, I’ve appreciated it for fifteen years.”

 

“I guess you have,” she said, softly.

 

Her flattened hand slid over his abdomen and inside his underwear. He knew it was coming and still, he groaned as her fingers wrapped around him and began to coax him into a firmer state. Nowadays, it took his body a little longer to catch up to his brain than it had when he was younger, but not being able to go from zero to 100 in seconds flat gave him the opportunity to appreciate the experience more and he didn’t mind one bit.

 

When she moved lower, cupping and squeezing, he couldn’t help but thrust his hips into her hand. She chuckled and tipped her head back to kiss his chin. Her hand slipped out of his pants and she pushed at his jeans, trying to wiggle them over his hips.

 

“Save my place,” he said, giving her a quick but deep kiss before backing off of her.

 

His pants and underwear were off in seconds and he took the break in action to slide her panties off as well. He came back towards her, head lowered to kiss his way up her chest to her lips. She sighed and ran her fingers through his hair, pulling slightly so he lifted his face to her.

 

“I want you inside me,” she whispered, dragging her bottom lip up his chin as she arched her back into him.

 

Mulder’s heart felt like it dropped from his chest into his pelvis. That was usually about the extent of her vocabulary when it came to dirty talk, but when she spoke like that, and in that breathy whisper, he felt like he could unravel just from the sound of her voice. He preferred it over any of the explicit demands he’d heard in those tapes he didn’t own so very long ago and that he once thought were so appealing.

 

She said she wanted slow, so he gave her slow, watching her face as he eased into her. Her left eyelid twitched and fluttered, nearly winking shut, while her right lid merely drooped languidly. He loved the little involuntary twitches that took over her body when she was being controlled by arousal. She bit her lip and tilted her hips up to meet up, pushing her heels into the backs of his legs when he was buried as far as he could go, either to keep him there or try to pull him even further, he wasn’t sure.

 

“How does that feel?” he asked.

 

“Mm,” she answered.

 

He rocked his hips, just a slow gentle shift of his weight from side to side. Her inner walls clenched in a reflexive spasm, begging for more. He kissed her, since it was the only option he could think of to prevent him from slamming his hips into hers to get some relief from the mounting ache in his groin.

 

For awhile, he was content to just kiss her and give a few lazy thrusts to keep the fires stoked, but it took a surprising amount of exertion to restrain himself so much. He went completely still and moved up on his hands to look down at her. Her eyes glowed in the candlelight and there was a fiery blush of heat across her cheeks and chest.

 

“Put your arms around my neck,” he said.

 

She wrapped her arms around him without question. Her legs were already locked around his hips, so he slid his arm beneath her and pulled her up as he sat back on his heels. He reached behind him to separate her ankles and she got the hint, folding her legs so her knees touched the bed and he was able to slide his legs out straight in front of him.

 

In this position he could distract himself by touching her and she could regulate the pace. He propped himself up with one hand behind him and the other went to her breast, squeezing softly, still marveling after all this time how perfectly it fit into his hand, like her breasts were custom made just for him. He told her so once and it earned him an eye roll, but he saw the way the corners of her mouth had lifted and knew she liked the thought of it too.

 

Mulder bent his head and brought her nipple into his mouth, circling with his tongue before nipping with his teeth. She groaned at that and squeezed her thighs against his as she rolled her hips forward and then back. Her chest pressed up against his mouth and her head fell back. He let go of her breast to hold the back of her head and the ends of her hair tickled his arm, sending tingles throughout his whole body.

 

The pace she set was slow, but steady. Her hips undulated, back and forth, punctuated with a slight lift and a clench and then she would relax and sink back down. He pulled her head closer, but didn’t kiss her. Instead, he licked her upper lip and held her mouth close to his so he could feel the heat of her breath on his face and she could feel the same.

 

Gradually, she began to move a little faster and Mulder knew it was time to urge her on. He laid back and took hold of her hips, squeezing softly. She braced her hands down to the bed on either side of his head and continued with the steady push and lift of her hips like she was keeping time with a metronome. He moved his hands down over her ass, fanning his fingers, and forced a change to the tilt of her hips so that her pubic bone slid against his with every move she made.

 

She gave a long moan and then began to expel her breath in short, whimpering grunts through an open mouth. Just in time, he thought, because he could feel the spring tightening and knew release was not far off for him. He squeezed her ass and thrust into her a little faster.

 

“Muh…” she breathed. “Muh…”

 

“Come on,” he said. “You’re so close.”

 

“So…there…there…”

 

“Come on.”

 

Her body quaked against his and he held her hips steady as he slammed into her with his final thrusts. He groaned her name, entering into the euphoric state that came with release. Unconsciously, he massaged her backside, soothing them both down from the high until his body cooled and resumed its natural state, slipping free from her warmth. She had instantly fell to his chest and tucked her chin under his head and finally he wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. She sighed.

 

“That was...” he said.

 

“Yeah.”

 

It was quiet in the room without the sound of heavy breathing and the merging of flesh with flesh. He noticed one of the candles had gone out. She sighed again.

 

“What are you thinking?” he asked, twisting her hair around his fingers.

 

“Maybe I will have that bath.”

 

He laughed and she rubbed her cheek against his chest.   “Give me a minute to catch my breath,” he said. “I’ll run it for you.”

 

“Actually I was hoping you’d join me.”

 

*****


	4. Part 4

Rural and isolated location aside, one of the reasons they bought the house was for the quirky little renovation in the attic. The wide top floor had been converted into a master suite with an open bathroom consisting of a claw-foot bathtub beneath a large skylight. Mulder saw the way Scully’s eyes lit up when she saw the bathtub and he closed out one of the many safe deposit boxes he had stashed around the country, which had more than enough cash to buy the house and furnish it.

 

It was never their intention to use the attic as their bedroom. The ceiling was too low for him to move comfortably, for one thing, and the room didn’t have the best ventilation which meant it could be suffocating in the summer and freezing in the winter. It was essentially empty, mostly used for light storage, and only remembered on the kind of day that called for a hot bath.

 

Mulder looked up at the half moon shining down through the skylight. Scully’s head lolled against his shoulder as she lifted a small sponge and squeezed water over her chest. Her breasts rose and fell out of the water as she breathed, nipples erect from the exposure to the cool air. His arms were crossed beneath her breasts and he moved them higher to keep her warmer. He moved carefully since the water stung the still-healing cuts and scrapes. She hummed and ran the sponge over his arms.

 

“Do you forgive me?” she asked.

 

“Of course.”

 

“You don’t even have to ask for what?”

 

“It doesn’t matter, I know I forgive you.”

 

He lifted one dripping hand and touched her cheek. She tipped her head up so her nose brushed his jaw and placed a kiss to the underside of his chin. He wiggled his hips to sink down just a little more and his knees poked up out of the water. She slid one of her feet up and down his shin.

 

“You scared me,” he said.

 

“I know. You scared me too.”

 

He kissed her shoulder and sucked the water off her collarbone. She nuzzled her cheek against his and he turned to kiss the corner of her mouth. She kissed him back and then wiggled free of his arms, grasping the sides of the tub to sit up. She wrapped her arms around her bent legs and rested her chin on her knees. He picked up the sponge she left floating behind her and ran it over her back.

 

“If you’re thinking about going back to the FBI,” she said. “I can’t go with you.”

 

“I know. And, I’m not.”

 

“I wouldn’t stop you, though. If that’s what you wanted.”

 

“It’s not what I want.”

 

“You’ve earned your freedom. I can’t believe you intend to spend your days staying home and gardening. That isn’t you.”

 

“Just because I’m no longer wanted doesn’t mean I could waltz right back to the basement and pick up like the last eight years never happened. They didn’t even want me when they had me.”

 

“But, if they did…if they offered…”

 

Mulder sat up as well and leaned over her bent form to look at her face. Water sloshed around them and he waited a moment for it to settle. “You know something I don’t, Scully?” he asked.

 

“No.”

 

“I’m not going back.”

 

“So will you stay here, cutting up newspapers and not shaving for the rest of your life?”

 

He pushed his hands through the water to wrap around the tight little ball she’d become. Reintegrating into society didn’t feel like much of a priority to him. Society basically sucked. The only person he ever had faith in was her, and she would be all he’d need for the rest of his life. But, she needed more. She’d tolerated the isolation for the last few years because it was necessary for survival, but if he continued on as he had, he would definitely lose her and he knew that.

 

“Do you want me to clear out my office?” he asked.

 

“No.” She shook her head. “I just want you to think about living again.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“Okay.”

 

He reclined again, taking her with him so she was once again lying in his arms with her head on his shoulder.

 

“My offer still stands,” he said.

 

“What offer?”

 

“Getting away, just you and me. A real vacation. Somewhere nice. Would that be what you call living?”

 

“Sounds nice.”

 

“Where do you want to go?”

 

She thought for a moment, caressing the tops of his arms with her fingers. “A beach,” she finally said.

 

“Any beach in particular?”

 

“No, just a beach.”

 

“Well, when I’m not tending my garden, I’ll research beaches. How’s that?”

 

“Whatever keeps you occupied.”

 

“Too bad I didn’t try to go pick up my slide projector when I was back at the Hoover.”

 

“Yes, that is very unfortunate,” she deadpanned.

 

“I thought you loved my slideshows.”

 

“Whatever gave you that idea?”

 

“You stared at them with such rapt fascination.”

 

“I was probably just thinking about my grocery list.”

 

He pinched her hip and she jumped, splashing water out of the side of the tub. She elbowed him softly in the rib as she settled back down and he hugged her close, looking back up at the moon. The glow it cast through the skylight made the ripples of water shimmer. It felt like the water might be cooling a little, but she didn’t seem to want to get out, so he didn’t either.

 

The End


End file.
